2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois
14
Colleges in Illinois
1,143
Design Degrees Awarded
$32,983
Avg Early-Career Salary
Design & Applied Arts is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #36 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
College Factual looked at 14 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,143 degrees in design & applied arts to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
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Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
AA in Digital Photography
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn More
BA in Digital Photography
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn More
Choosing a Great Design & Applied Arts School
Your choice of design & applied arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Design & Applied Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Design & Applied Arts Rankings by Degree Level
The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
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Featured Design & Applied Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
AA in Digital Photography
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn More
BA in Digital Photography
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn More
Best Schools for Design & Applied Arts in Illinois
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the design degree levels they offer.
10 Top Illinois Schools in Design
Any student pursuing a degree in design & applied arts needs to look into Columbia College Chicago. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #212 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great college overall.
There were about 239.00000000000003 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program report average early career earnings of $29,630.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Columbia College Chicago
Every student who is interested in design & applied arts has to look into University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 100 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program state that they receive average early career income of $34,670.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Bachelors
Degree Type
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts
Program Name
Translate your creative ideas through concept, design and digital media with a bachelor's in graphic design online from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
DePaul University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in design & applied arts. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.
There were approximately 110 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the design program earn about $30,536 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from DePaul University
University of Illinois at Chicago is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in design & applied arts. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 100 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, design degree recipients typically make around $34,377 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from University of Illinois at Chicago
Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Peoria. This university ranks 19th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 37 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program state that they receive average early career earnings of $22,893.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Bradley University
Located in the large suburb of Glen Ellyn, COD is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 29th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 81 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at COD in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the design program state that they receive average early career wages of $31,761.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from College of DuPage
Illinois State is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 30 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the design & applied arts degree program at Illinois State University make $6,304 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Illinois State University
Associates
Degree Type
AA in Digital Photography
Program Name
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in AA in Digital Photography from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Located in the suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 28th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 24 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Elmhurst University
Located in the city of Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
There were about 21 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
14th
Most Popular In IL
Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.
There were about 12 design & applied arts students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in design & applied arts from Loyola University Chicago
